


Wake Me Up When December Ends

by shienne1327



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-22
Updated: 2014-12-25
Packaged: 2018-03-02 20:24:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2825024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shienne1327/pseuds/shienne1327
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Will had a problem. Nico was knocked out by sleeping powder and won't be waking up until after three days. But Christmas was coming within two days- and he would be lying if he said he wasn't looking forward to the hang-out (*cough*date*cough*) he had been planning for the holiday. How in Hades' name will he wake the dark prince up before Christmas!?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Next chapter would be updated on Christmas with a special bonus. ;) In the mean time, enjoy!

**Wake Me Up When December Ends**

**_Chapter 1_ **

Snow was everywhere (apparently, the camp decided to let winter in for the holidays), and the air was filled with holiday cheers. Surprisingly, there were more people in camp unlike last time. And it seemed like everyone had gotten closer since the last war, which shouldn't have been a surprise. Even some of the Romans had decided to drop by.

There were laughter and snowball fights everywhere. Some campers were ice skating on the frozen lake, while couples cuddled within the Mess hall.

Except for the two demigods that seemed to be busy with something else rather than smooching or doing anything couple-related—which they were not.

"So what are you planning for today's holiday, Will?" Lou Ellen asked the blonde in front of her, who was busy wrapping something.

"Nothing special." He replied, a little distracted as he tried to fold a shiny red wrapper.

She raised an eyebrow, "What are you doing?"

"I'm—" He pulled the tape that was stuck on his right cheek and pasted it against the red paper, "— _trying_ to wrap a gift."

"What gift?" Lou Ellen bent forward against the table, trying to get a better look, "Who's it for?"

The son of Apollo grumbled at the small crease on the tape and tried to peel it off again, "Just—wait— don't distract me."

"You do know you're the son of a god who's all artistic, right?" Lou Ellen tried to hold back her smile as she saw the crooked cutting of the wrapper, "How can you be having a hard time gift-wrapping?"

"First of all; he's the god of music, poetry, archery, healing, prophecy, etc.— _not_ the god of gift-wrapping!" Will said in exasperation as he dropped the half-wrapped gift, "And second; if I can't have those archery skills or musical talent, what chances do I actually get in having the skills in gift-wrapping?"

"Awe, come on. It's not that bad—hey wait—" The daughter of Hecate narrowed her eyes down at the cloth that was sticking out of the wrapper, "Is that—" She made a dramatic gasp as she looked at the boy in front of him with wide eyes, "Is that the beach towel you've been knitting the past few months?!"

Will was now as red as Rudolph's nose, "It's  _not_ a beach towel!" He grabbed the item away from her view, "It's a scarf!"

"Dude, it was wide like a towel—"

"Most scarves are!"

"And you're actually planning to give that to Nico?" If possible, Will got redder but Lou Ellen did not pay him any mind. Of course, she (and pretty much everyone else in camp) was aware that there was a bit of chemistry between the two. So she really didn't need Sherlock Holmes to figure out to whom the present was for, "Will, it's baby pink."

"Not all of it…"

"Are you talking about the yellow and green polka dots?" Lou Ellen rubbed her temples as she practically remembered catching a glimpse of the hideous clothing.

"He's always wearing  _black_!" He then shrugged, trying to act nonchalant as he went back to his wrapping, but he was obviously still blushing, "I just thought a bit of color would be… nice."

Lou Ellen stared at the wrapper that had small creases and tiny rips at the side, then back to the baby-pink scarf before asking, "Are you sure you're not adopted?"

"HEY!"

"Will! WILL!" Both demigods looked up at the distressed voice they heard and saw Piper running towards them, looking really frantic. This made them frown in worry.

"We have an emergency." She panted as she stopped in front of them.

"What? Did the Hephaestus cabin tried to make a snowball machine again?" He remembered last week's incident where almost all the campers that got hit by the machine always ended up with nasty bruises and bleeding noses.

The Hephaestus kids really took the challenge of the Ares cabin a little too seriously.

"No. it's not." She bit her lower lip in worry, and her multi-colored eyes landed on his pale blue ones. A sudden spark ran up his spine that immediately got him to his feet when the demigod continued,

"It's Nico."

* * *

Will practically barged in the infirmary, wasting no time taking off his scarf and coat. He pulled off his beanie as he asked a nearby healer where the son of Hades was.

He was immediately led towards the demigod and was then told about what happened, "They said they found him outside, just lying on the snow. He was freezing cold when Percy and the others brought him here. We covered him in thick blankets, trying to warm him up as much as possible but not too sudden—apparently he had a mild case of hypothermia, but so far he's doing fine."

Will was relieved at that, "So he's okay now, right?"

The way his sibling wasn't looking at him in the eye told him otherwise, "Kind of…?"

"What's wrong?" He immediately demanded.

"We can't seem to wake him up."

Will didn't really listen to his next explanation as he quickly headed towards the bed lined last and pulled the curtain to the side. Percy and Annabeth stood by the bedside and they seemed to be in a deep conversation before stopping as Will suddenly appeared. He didn't mind them as his eyes immediately landed on the son of Hades who was unconscious. His skin was as pale as it ever was and his raven hair stuck out from all the thick, plain sheets that covered him.

He took his position next to him and quickly put a hand over his head. He noticed he was a little cold as his hand slid to the side of the face of the unconscious demigod.

"He seems to be okay." Will concluded, before looking up to his sibling, "Maybe he won't wake up because he's tired."

"Actually…" Percy suddenly spoke, catching his attention, "I don't think that's the case."

"What do you mean?"

"He's been really unresponsive." Annabeth said, "And we think it's more than just exhaustion."

"What?" Will did not like how they exchanged looks.

"Seriously, it's like Nico's in a coma." Percy's frown deepened.

"If he were just unconscious, he should've woken up by now. Or at least gave us a sign or any response… but he didn't."

"So what are you saying?" Then Will's eyes widened, "Did he hit his head?"

He was just about to check his head but Annabeth stopped him, "No. We think… that  _someone_  did this."

"What…?"

Then there were rushed footsteps behind him, and Jason and Piper appeared behind him, looking a little winded. The son of Jupiter pushed his glasses up his nose as he turned to Percy than Will, "What happened? Is he okay?"

"He is." Will frowned as he turned to Percy and Annabeth, "At least I think so…"

Annabeth turned to Piper and nodded to her, "Where did you exactly find Nico before you called for help?"

Then Piper's eyes widened in understanding, "Just outside… Cabin fifteen."

* * *

Clovis shifted uncomfortably on his bed as Will, Annabeth and Jason stood around him. For once he didn't look like he was in the verge of sleeping as his eyes darted back and forth, "I swear, it wasn't on purpose."

"What exactly happened?" Will demanded while looking really worried, "What did you do to Nico?"

He sighed deeply, "We didn't do anything to him. It was just one of our traps."

"You have traps?" Annabeth raised an eyebrow at this.

"Just recently…" He said looking guilty and at the same time annoyed, "The Stoll brothers kept making these pranks in our cabin, attaching annoying blow horns everywhere… so one thing led to another, we attached some sleeping powder by the door—and well, I wasn't expecting a visit from anyone else other than them."

"Then what if it were other demigods that came? To inform you about meetings?" Jason asked looking at him in disbelief.

"Look—It's nothing serious!" Clovis defended, "He's just trapped in a deep sleep."

"Nico almost froze to death outside." Annabeth crossed her arms.

"It wasn't supposed to be him…"

"Then do something!" Will insisted as he gestured to the door, "Try to reverse the spell! He can't sleep forever!"

"He won't." Clovis fingered his blanket, "And I can't reverse it. It's not a spell. It's just  _sleeping powder_. Technically, we just have to wait until the effects wear off and Nico will wake up."

"And how long will that be?"

"Just three days."

Relief immediately settled on them, all except for Will who was devastated to hear this. Christmas was within two days, and apparently, he was looking forward to spending the holidays with the son of Hades for the first time—which was apparently the reason why he decided to stay in camp instead of going back home.

He immediately noticed Annabeth observing him. The daughter of Athena then tore her gaze from him and asked, "Isn't there any other way to wake him up than just waiting for three days?"

"You could try shocking him awake."

Jason frowned, "You mean electrocute him?"

"No. I mean surprise him… try to shock him into waking up." Clovis suggested, "It's usually the basic thing to do and it never fails."

* * *

"And how exactly will we be able to do that when he's in a really deep sleep?" Percy asked as he looked back at Nico, "The dude is practically in a coma!"

Jason shrugged, "We could just wait for those three days. At least now we're sure nothing's wrong with him."

"So I'm guessing we're just gonna attach an IV on him…?" Piper didn't look too happy about the whole thing.

"Afraid so." Annabeth sighed before mumbling some Greek curses, "And it's bad enough he's already skin and bones."

Will didn't say anything. Instead, he just stared at the ghost king, trying not to look upset than how he already felt. Two days until Christmas, and he already had the whole thing planned out. Invite Nico to a snow ball fight or some ice skating, then take him out to the city to go watch some movies or shop (the monsters he could care less; it had been five months of no monster activity—and thank gods!) And finally, take him to a special spot where they can watch the fireworks the Athena and Hecate Cabin had planned, which was definitely something to look forward to (Seriously, Hecate  _and_ Athena? The results will either be stupendous or devastating) and give him his hand-made gift.

Of course, that wasn't really the main event. To Will, it would be during the time when he tries to finally establish whatever was between him and Nico.

For five months, they've been beating around the bush. Sometimes it was like they were the best of friends. But sometimes, it was like there was  _more_. And if it was possible, Will hoped there was more to it than just ending up being friend-zoned.

And he also hoped he could manage to steal a kiss from the son of Hades if he ever confirms that they were more than just friends.

Of course, he remembered that Nico was not the touchy-feely type. That's why he had to  _steal_ the kiss. If Nico ever got mad or embarrassed, he could handle either one (or both). After all, that's where his five months of training would be put in use!

"Will, you alright?"

He snapped out of his reverie and turned to look at Piper who was frowning at him in worry, "Uhm, yeah! Of course I am!"

"You seemed to be deep in your thoughts." Jason commented before tilting his head to Nico, "Shouldn't you be preparing his IV? Seems like we'll be waiting for three days 'til he wakes up."

Will didn't want to. Because he was sure Nico would wake up before Christmas. But he stood up from his stool in the end and left to go check the supplies. He vaguely heard Jason yelped before asking his girlfriend what he did wrong.

* * *

It was now a new day and the sun was just rising when Will appeared by the infirmary's door. His blonde hair was disheveled, he was wearing his usual green surgeon shirt which was topped by a baby blue blazer; a pair of long jeans and boots (it was snowing outside, you didn't expect him to wear flip-flops now did you?). In his hand right hand he held a cup of warm coffee and the other held a notebook.

He quickly darted to where Nico was still lying asleep and was a little relieved that none of the others were around.

He set the coffee on the bed side table, on top of the notebook and headed towards the nearby window. He pushed the curtains open and not much sunlight entered (sun was still rising—so apparently, Apollo is still on his way), but it was better than nothing "Rise and shine Death boy!"

No response.

Will loudly made his way back to the bed, trying to emphasize the heavy footsteps of his boots (he shouldn't even be wearing boots with all the health protocols about sanitation and stuff) as much as possible before he stopped next to Nico. Not even a flinch.

The blonde looked around and was relieved to find that there were no patients around, except for the one demigod found at the other side of the room. But if he was complaining with the noise, Will never knew, seeing that his entire body was covered in a cast.

"I brought you some coffee!" He picked the cup and tried to wave it in front of the demigod and even tried to fan the smoke towards his sleeping face.

"If I tell you it's from McDonalds, will you wake up?"

Silence.

Will then slumped down to the stool next to Nico before taking a sip of the beverage.

" _ **You could try shocking him awake."**_

The healer looked at his notebook, and grabbed it. Inside was a list of the things he can do to shock Nico into actually waking up. One involved reciting his poems to him—he might be shocked to find out how amazing he was. Another was singing to him with his breath-taking (hint the sarcasm) voice—surprise would surely ensue. And many more—

If still not awake, he still had two back-up plans. It involved water… and some defibrillate…

"Wow… you really are trying to wake him up." He spun around to see Lou Ellen, grinning at him cheekily, "I heard what happened from Annabeth."

Will looked back at Nico and shut the notebook, "Yeah. He's always a magnet for trouble."

A hand patted him on the shoulder, "Hey cheer up, he'll still wake up the day after tomorrow. It's not like it's the end of the world."

"No… but…" Will tried not to sound like a little boy whose Christmas got cancelled—which may actually be the case at the moment.

"Christmas, right?" Lou Ellen actually sounded sympathetic, "I know. And honestly, I'd do anything to help you."

"You could lend me some of your pig balls." He asked hopefully and watched as the other gave him a disbelieving look.

"Will, if I remember correctly, you're supposed to shock him awake. Not annoy him awake." Lou Ellen huffed, "And besides, those things are too precious to just be handed over!"

He still looked at her expectantly, but the daughter of Hecate kept firm, "No." And she looked out the window just in time to see some campers heading towards the mess hall, "Oh! They're awake! I really have to go Will, my siblings might start another food fight without me!"

Will slumped further down in disappointment and his friend gave him a considerate smile.

"Come on, all hope's not lost." She tried to cheer him up, "The day is just beginning! There are still loads of time to try and wake sleeping beauty up!"

And with that she left, without waiting for Will to respond.

He sighed for the umpteenth time and ran a hand over his hair. Right. Time to get to work.

* * *

" _You are an angel,_  
Only that you don't have wings!  
But I do not mind!"

He looked at his sleeping patient expectantly. Nothing. He flips through another page and cleared his throat.

" _Death boy please wake up,_  
Or you will regret it… too.  
Wake up already!"

Still none.

" _If you don't wake up,  
I might do something stupid.  
Like… _uhh _—burn down Mcdo?"_

There were sounds of pages being ruffled.

" _Nico, wake up now,_  
Or I'll curse you to speak rhymes,  
And make you wear pink!"

A moment of silence and suddenly someone shouted from one of the beds,

"Oh my  _gods!_ Please shut up or I swear I'm going to kill myself!"

* * *

"WILL! What in Apollo's name are you doing?!"

Will had an arrow notched and pointed at the son of Hades. His one eye was closed as he tried to focus the arrow towards the side of Nico's face.

"Don't worry! I know what I'm doing! I've seen these in movies before!" Will said to his sibling, "I just have to make sure I don't hit his face—"

"Help! Someone  _HELP_!" Then there were some shuffling sounds and a lot of thuds.

"No, wait—! Trust me—OW!"

* * *

Will pulled a small table in front of the sleeping demigod and huffed as he finally stopped by his bed. He covered it with a red table cloth and put some china and a wine glass on top.

"Alright Nico," The blonde looked over him in excitement, "Prepare to be surprised!"

He grabbed the table cloth, "I've seen this in youtube loads of time and I think I have enough information to actually do it properly! So—!"

.

.

"We could try and make the fireworks come to life!" Lou Ellen suggested in excitement as she looked at Annabeth who was busy scanning her tab.

"It is possible, depending on the amount of chemical elements we are to produce here—we're going to have to make this by scratch—"

"Uhm, hello? We've got magic! We don't need to worry about all that…  _science-y_ stuff."

"Of course we do! We need a plan—everything needs a plan! Fireworks are very complex –"

_CRASH!_

Both demigods looked up in surprise, and they automatically turned their heads to the source of the noise.

" _WILL SOLACE! STOP DISTURBING THE PATIENTS!"_

More noises erupted and it went on for a few minutes before silence finally fell.

Lou Ellen turned to Annabeth, "What was that all about?"

* * *

By the end of the day, Will was chasing some of his siblings who had stolen the guitar he was about to use. They had actually reached the beach and Will had to stop as he saw the sun setting from afar. Hopelessness suddenly settled as he realized that within a couple of hours, Christmas will arrive.

And Nico was still trapped in his deep slumber.

He fell on his bottom, not really caring about the cold snow and looked up at the darkening sky. What did he do to deserve this?

Why does the life of a demigod have to be so messed up?

"Mind telling me why you're freezing your butt off out here?"

He looked up to see Leo grinning at him in amusement.

"Leo!" He exclaimed in surprise.

The demigod in front of him, who was dubbed "a miracle" by the campers, had actually arrived about a month later after the Gaea war. Piper actually tackled him to the ground after his grand entrance (which involved crashing down the camp's forest before face planting on the ground as his girlfriend landed on top of him). There were tears, anger and a lot of emotional moments at that time.

But all in all, everyone was glad—and things became lighter and more cheerful thanks to the other's return.

Unfortunately though, Leo didn't stay long as he told them he only came by to see them and fix Festus. He had after all promised his girlfriend—Calypso—that he would give her a tour around the world, which may take a really long while. But he also promised to drop by once in a while.

A promise which he apparently kept.

"You're back!" Will said with wide eyes. He then stood up and tried to dust the snow off his pants. It was a little uncomfortable talking to someone he never really was close to—which is why he found it a little suspicious that Leo was talking to him, of all people.

"Yeah, I just arrived during this lunch!" Leo gave him a sly look, "But I guess you were a little too busy at that time, huh?"

"I –uhh… yeah." Will shifted his feet self-consciously, "I've been trying to wake someone up."

"Oh yeah! Nico—I came by to ask you about him. I just heard the news from Jason and Pipes!" Then he gave him a curious look, but the smirk was apparent behind the façade, "And from what I heard he'll be waking up two days from now, right? So what's up man?"

Then Will knew there was no point in hiding it anymore as he embarrassingly shared to him his true purpose.

"I just want to spend Christmas with Nico, okay?!" His face heated up as he forced his gaze on the ground, "And sure I can wait three days for him to wake up, but… it just isn't the same!"

Leo's expression softened, "Man, you are one strange dude."

"Huh?"

The other shrugged, "I always found Nico the scary-type, you know? And I think most people in this camp do as well. But you on the other hand…" He grinned, "You've got enough fire to melt that ice."

"Thanks…? I guess…?"

"I'm not really close to that guy…" Leo admitted with a shrug, "But I can tell that Nico had been through a lot of messed up stuff, and as his friend… I appreciate what you're doing for him."

Will smiled and gave him a small nod. Though he really wanted to tell the fire-wielder that there really was no need for thanks, since technically everything he had done so far was mostly out of his own selfishness to spend the holidays with Nico.

Then the smile vanished as he remembered his predicament.

Leo unconsciously lit a flame on the tip of his finger, surprising the other, "You can still make it, you know? Christmas isn't 'til tomorrow."

"I know. But… you see—I was planning this—" Then his pale blue eyes widened and Leo had to look at him curiously. Before the demigod could react, the blonde suddenly trapped him in a hug.

"Oh gods! Thanks for reminding me!" Then he let go and started running off, "I gotta go!"

"Uh… okay?" Leo waved back hesitantly, "You're welcome?"

_**End of Chapter** _

 


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2** _

Five minutes 'til midnight and the infirmary was silent. Too silent. Kayla looked around in caution, expecting to find her head counselor probably about to do something stupid (like what he had been doing the whole day). But as she walked down the aisle of beds, she grew more positive that it was only her, Nico and the patient who had been covered in casts.

She sighed in relief. About time the infirmary got its peace. Will had been acting strange the whole day trying to wake the son of Hades up for no reason at all. From reciting poorly made haikus to his attempt to sing him rock songs (they had to stop him because Will's music can literally drive a person crazy—which may actually be one of his gifts from Apollo)—the others were almost positive that he was going insane.

Then it all soon made sense to her as to why after her best friend, Lou Ellen, told her about Will's  _purpose._  Of course, being a girl, Kayla found it sweet but at the same time, she was still furious at the blonde for not even thinking for the other patients.

She sighed as she watched the sleeping face of Nico di Angelo, the boy whom most of the campers would try to avoid. Who knew he would manage to capture the brightest sun in the camp, despite being the epitome of darkness?

_THUD!_

Kayla quickly turned around, her eyes wide and alert as she wondered who it was. No one should be around in such a late hour. Not even the campers—not with the harpies out there. She heard more noise and quickly made her way towards it.

She grabbed the nearest item and was surprised to see it was the guitar they stole from Will.

Then she saw a bit of movement from the window near Nico's bed and hastily made her way towards it. Her weapon was ready as she raised it above her head, about to knock out whoever the person (or monster) was—when a bit of red caught her eyes.

And before she knew it, she dropped the instrument loudly.

"Hey! That's mine!"

Kayla did not respond to that, instead, she just stared at her brother with wide eyes. The blonde… was wearing a Santa suit… and a  _beard_. Her eyes then landed on the sack beside him that was filled with Styrofoam.

"Will— _what in the world are you doing_?!" She practically waved her hands in disbelief and exasperation, "And did you just sneak in here through that window?"

Will huffed, "Obviously." Then he tried to sneak a peek over Nico's bed, "Now keep quiet! I'm going to surprise Nico."

Kayla couldn't hold back her sigh as she rubbed her temples.

"And this time I'm sure it will work! I remembered Nico told me once he doesn't believe in Santa since there was no way a guy could just deliver gifts all over the world in one night— but of course I told him if he can shadow-travel from the other side of the world, then why can't Santa—?"

"Will, this has got to stop!" She saw the hurt that flashed on his face and tried not to wince, "You have to accept that Nico won't wake up until the day after tomorrow—or in this case… tomorrow." She said as she checked her watch.

There was a moment of silence.

"At least… let me try." Will finally spoke as he tried to give her a defiant glare… and Kayla knew there was no way of changing his mind. She admired his persistence… but at the same time, she felt bad for the hurt he might feel at the end of it all.

"Fine…" She gave in, "In exchange you take tonight's shift. I'm going back to our cabin."

"Thanks—wait, you might get caught by harpies—"

"Brother, if you managed to get here without being eaten by one—then I think I'll be totally fine." And with that, she hurriedly left.

* * *

Lou Ellen winced at what Kayla told her during Christmas morning. They were just about to head their way to the mess hall for breakfast when she noticed that something was wrong with the daughter of Apollo.

"That bad, huh?"

"Yeah, I found him this morning at Nico's bedside, still wearing the Santa suit… and uh… covered in Styrofoam. His head was buried in his arms, so I wasn't sure if he was really sleeping or if he was just pretending." Kayla sighed sadly, "I told him it was useless. If only he just listened."

"You gotta give the guy some credit." Lou Ellen patted her friend on the back, "He probably knew how hopeless that situation was more than we do- that he knew he had to act."

"That's a stupid logic."

"It's still logic."

"Lou Ellen!" The two girls turned to see Annabeth running up towards them, a pencil was tucked above her ear and in her hand was a crumpled notebook, "About the fireworks—I was wondering if we could try to—" She stopped and looked at their faces as if noticing something, "Did something happened?"

They exchanged looks, and before they knew it, they were all sitting around the Poseidon's table—along with Piper, Jason, Leo , Calypso and of course Percy. The son of Poseidon himself. They were most probably breaking the rules here but hey—it had actually become a "thing" lately.

"I don't get it. There's still tomorrow, right?" Percy asked with a mouth full of blue pancakes.

Both Piper and Annabeth exchanged exasperated looks as if to say;  _Boys_.

"But by tomorrow, it's not Christmas anymore." Kayla sighed for almost like a hundredth time.

"And he was actually looking forward to it." Lou Ellen mumbled as she tried to scribble through Annabeth's complicated equations for the fireworks.

"But we can't really do anything about that, now can we?" Jason said with a frown before taking a bite of his sandwich.

"Hey, you're a sorceress right? Maybe you got some spells that can wake our friend up." Leo turned to Calypso who was mixing the vegetable salad on her food bowl.

"I usually do have a potion for that and it's quite simple to make." They immediately looked at her in shock and in excitement, "But I would need to use some certain herbs that can only be found back at my old home."

And everyone deflated at that.

Piper bit her lower lip before speaking up, "Maybe we should just let them be. Obviously, there's nothing we can do… and even if we try waking Nico up… I don't think it would work."

"And what makes you think so?" Kayla couldn't help but ask.

"Well… if Will can't even wake him up… then what are the chances that we can?"

Then silence fell upon them.

* * *

Nope. He was definitely not depressed. So what if Nico never woke up from his last attempt? He only had to wait for another day and  _BAM!_ The son of Hades would be up and about in no time, scowling and brooding like how he used to.

He was now changed in his usual green surgeon shirt and pants, but he did not bother shaking off the pieces of Styrofoam that got stuck on his hair from last night when he tried to shower Nico with it, pretending he was Santa and all.

He restocked the first aid kit before putting it back in the cabinet, trying to keep his mind in his work while trying to ignore the cheerful greetings outside the cabin as well as the carols of some campers.

"Hey Will," A kid from the Aphrodite cabin came in the infirmary as he took out another kit. Batting her too long eyelashes at him she said, "Merry Christmas."

The blonde merely grunted in response, feeling like a Scrooge at the moment.

"Uhm… hey, do you know how to ice skate?"

"A little." Will replied as he checked for the gauzes.

"Really?" She perked up, her ginger hair bounced at the action and she flipped it to her back, "Maybe you could teach me—"

"Sorry. I'm a little busy right now." And with that the healer stuffed the first aid back to the cabinet and stalked off, leaving behind the stunned girl.

He sat behind the desk near the entrance and started scanning through their medical files.

"Hey, you know you don't have to check those." He looked up to see Austin, "I mean… it's my turn to be on duty after all."

"No it's fine." He mumbled, "Go ahead. I'll take this shift."

His brother sighed, "You know I can't-"

"As Head counselor, I say otherwise." He gave him a firm look and stood up from his chair, stalking off towards Nico to check up on him. Not really caring about how Austin stared at him in worry.

The day went on without the usual hindrances, and Will forced himself not to notice how snow started to fall outside… or how the sun was starting to set a little too soon. He started arranging the thick blankets around Nico's still form, making sure he was warm and cozy, before turning his attention to the other patient who used to be covered in casts. He should be well enough to go back to his cabin.

"Man, you really like Nico don't you?" Cecil grinned as he sipped on his nectar while Will continued his check up on his newly healed bones.

"For someone who became the main target of that snow ball machine, you sure healed up quickly." Will ignored him as he closed the kit beside him, "You would probably start walking like a normal person in a few days, just come by once a while for your daily check-up and probably some therapy."

The grin now vanished, "Come on, Will, no need to be so down in the dumps. You did your best." He winced as he tried to pat the other in the shoulder, "Come with us tonight! That'll cheer you up! We're planning this huge prank on the fireworks—"

"No thanks." Will waved him off, "You're free to go now."

And with that the healer stood and walked off, leaving Cecil with a pair of crutches.

* * *

Night had finally arrived and Will could already hear the excited chatters of the campers as they talk about the upcoming fireworks. He sat by the porch of the infirmary drinking a cup of hot chocolate.

_There's always next year._ He thought miserably. He watched as the snowflakes continued falling and held out a hand. It immediately melted at the touch of his finger and he imagined him and Nico actually sitting by the hill on a picnic blanket, all huddled up from the cold with a blazing fire near them, eager to watch the upcoming fireworks.

_Next year would be better._ He promised himself before entering the infirmary.

He eyed the paper bags near Nico's bed as he arrived. Percy and the others had arrived from New York and had apparently done some shopping. They bought Nico some gifts (and him too, surprisingly) so that he wouldn't be too upset for skipping Christmas.

Will sat on the stool next to Nico, and smiled, "It looks like it's just you and me."

Nico was still as ever. The only sign that he was still alive was his breathing, and the healer never stopped making sure that he still was.

"You really should be waking up now, death boy. Christmas will be ending soon… and…" He hesitated, "…and we won't get to watch the fireworks together."

He slowly reached out to hold the pale hand that stuck out. He really wished that the other would flinch like how he used to when he touched the cold appendage, but he was as limped as a doll. Will clenched the hand and hummed.

He knew it wouldn't work. There wasn't anything to heal after all… but… he couldn't find himself to care as he continued.

Nico felt warmer, but the cold was still apparent. Will stopped humming and leaned forward at the side of the son of Hades' bed. He rested his cheek against his folded arm and stared at the sleeping face of the other, never letting go.

" _The fireworks will be starting soon!"_ A voice from outside yelled.

The pang of sadness that hit him suddenly made him grip the other's hand a little tighter, "Dammit it Nico, wake up already!" Feeling like a child that he was getting upset over fireworks, he rubbed a hand over his face, trying to calm himself down, his other hand still not letting go.

" _ **The day is just beginning! There are still loads of time to try and wake sleeping beauty up!"**_

Will stopped as Lou Ellen's words from yesterday echoed in his mind.

_Sleeping Beauty…_

He looked at Nico with wide pale blue eyes and gulped. An idea formed in his mind. A stupid idea. And immediately he shook his head, feeling even more stupid for even thinking about it.

But… still…

Slowly, he stood up and leaned forward. His heart beat a little too quickly and blood was surely rushing up his face. He was definitely sure this was going to work… but would he risk the anger or shock Nico would give him?

Then, he heard a familiar hiss and explosion of a firework setting off. Shadows danced around him and he heard the gasps of the other campers and before he knew it, he whispered softly to Nico,

"Come watch the fireworks with me… please?"

And his lips touched cold and soft ones. Sparks were felt and Will shut his eyes, savoring the moment—however, he did not dare take advantage as he quickly retreated and watched the boy expectantly.

Seconds passed… and suddenly it was a minute.

And Will now had his face buried in his arms before abruptly standing up, causing the stool he was sitting on to fall to the ground. He ran a hand over his blonde hair, causing some styrofoam to fall off.

He wasn't at the verge of crying. Nope. No he wasn't.

He looked out the window and saw another firework exploded and he watched in amazement as the fireworks actually came to life. If possible, he felt even sadder than before.

His sadness turned to anger.

"You just had to visit the Hypnos cabin, didn't you?" He turned sharply to the sleeping demigod, "You just couldn't—" He shut his eyes tightly, holding back the sting in them, before finally opening them and angrily said, "I was looking forward to this day! I even made you a beach towel that was supposed to be a scarf! And then there was this store I wanted us to go at New York—and we were supposed to ice skate and I would watch you fall on your butt and laugh at you and then you would scowl at me—"

He rubbed furiously at his eyes, not letting any tear escape, "And right now—we're supposed to be out there! Watching that!" He pointed at the fireworks that exploded once more, "And then…" His fists trembled as he finally looked down, "And then… I was going to tell you something important."

The usual lack of response got him all riled up that he couldn't contain himself as he continued,

"It's a stupid haiku… but…" He took a deep breath,

" _Hey di Angelo,  
You are my only Death boy,_

And he hung his head low before muttering the last part sadly, "I liked you…  _always_ …"

Silence followed after more fireworks exploded…

Will sniffed before ruffling his blonde hair. He continued watching the smaller teen expectantly before turning away with a small scowl, "Not that it matters anyway, you're gonna wake up tomorrow—I'll just…" His shoulders slumped and sighed in defeat, "I'll go get your present."

"Thanks… I think I'll be needing that scarf from all this cold."

The son of Apollo froze just as he turned around. Slowly, he looked back at Nico's bed and his pale blue eyes widened significantly as he saw the son of Hades sitting up, wide awake and smirking at him.

"Nico…?"

"It's gotten chillier since you let go of my hand." The ghost boy continued as he tried to act casual with a shrug, "So anyway, where's that scarf— _oof_!"

Another round of fireworks exploded as Will buried Nico into a bear hug. He let out a relieved laugh while Nico practically slapped his arms to let go of him.

"Let—go—!"

"I'm sorry—I'm just..." He let out another laugh and this time, he let go, giving the other his needed space.

Nico swung his legs to the side of the bed and tried to stand up. Will of course, tried to stop him, "You just woke up. I don't think it's wise to just suddenly sit up after being out for two days."

The son of Hades scowled at him and was about to open his mouth to probably retort (gods, Will had no idea how much he missed that) but stopped as the colorful fireworks exploded in the night sky. He watched as all the signs of the cabin appeared and changed into various color and he had to look at it in amazement.

Will smiled softly at this—but his smile disappeared at what Nico suddenly said.

"Was everything you said true?"

The son of Apollo froze, "Everything—? What are you talking about?"

Then the son of Hades turned a light shade of red as he couldn't help but stare at the ground instead. Now Will was starting to feel a little embarrassed now.

"Don't tell me." He gulped, "You heard…  _everything_?"

Nico shrugged, looking a little sheepish, "I also saw… your attempts."

Will rubbed a hand on his face, he really wanted to die right now. He suddenly couldn't look at the other in the eye, "E-everything?"

The other nodded, turning even redder that he was pretty sure it wasn't healthy anymore.

"H-how?!"

"I may have been in that state of coma where you get that out of body experience…" Nico admitted.

And he fell on the floor, with his hands covering his face in utter embarrassment. If Nico had experienced everything… then the—

"Oh gods! Then—t-the-" He covered his mouth and before Nico could even respond, Will stood up and started apologizing, "L-look! I'm sorry for—for—you know. I'll understand if you get mad… I just want you to at least know that I-I was doing it to surprise you. So you would wake up!"

"Solace, calm down." Nico scowled at him, but the blush was obvious.

"I—uhh… I'm just…"

"Don't." Slowly, the ghost king tried to stand up and he wobbled a bit—causing Will to rush forward, ready to catch him if needed. His dark eyes softened and Will was pretty sure his face was on fire.

"Wanna watch the fireworks with me…?" He suddenly asked with a small shrug.

Will gulped, "I…"

"I'm sorry about your plans. We can still do them tomorrow if you want. That is if you're still interested—"

"YES!" Will exclaimed, and he let out an awkward laugh, "Gods,  _yes_."

"Good…" Nico tried to look nonchalant, but the way his shoulders slacked told another story.

"Yeah." Will grinned, feeling relieved as well.

_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!_

Both demigods turned to the window in surprise at the sudden screams. They suddenly heard the familiar hiss of the fireworks going off followed by an explosion but nothing lit the light sky… instead—

"Is that… rain?" Will squinted through the glass window.

Nico yelped as something yellow splashed against the glass, and suddenly all the demigods were running away. All covered in variety of colors.

_CONNOR! TRAVIS!_

Came the angry voice of a certain hot-headed daughter of Athena.

And the two demigods just watched the scene in silence. Half of the campers were attacking the Hermes cabin (and _—_ wait… wasn't that the snowball machine they were supposed to destroy?!) while some had ran away to take refuge.

"Nice haiku by the way." Nico suddenly blurted.

Will didn't answer. He was starting to feel light-headed from all the blood rushing towards his head. Just how much did Nico hear and see?

"If you don't mind… I made one too."

"You know how to make haikus?"

"I learned from one of your attempts." And before the blonde could sputter in embarrassment, he continued,

" _You're really stupid,  
And a little annoying,_

He looked up at the blonde and smirked softly, " _That's why I like you._ "

Though the next thing he did was a little stupid and foolish, it was still all worth it. He had practically invaded the other's personal space as he kissed him one more time. Nico visibly stiffened within his embrace and before Will knew it he was being attacked by zombies and was forced to run outside the colorful rain.

For a moment he thought he had ruined everything when he arrived at an empty infirmary… no sign of death boy anywhere. But when a knock on his cabin's door woke him up the next morning, he knew it was going to be the best (late) Christmas ever as he was greeted with the sight of a scowling son of Hades standing by the porch with his foot tapping impatiently against the floorboards. He was wearing a black coat, a pair of black pants and boots, and…

…a baby pink scarf covered in green and yellow polka dots that was snugly wrapped around his neck.

**EXTRA:**

"Oh yeah," As the two walk down the chilly streets of New York city, Nico suddenly took out a dark green gift that was perfectly wrapped with a black bow on top and handed it to Will (the son of Apollo tried not to compare the perfect wrapping with his amateur one), "I got you something. This is the reason why I went to visit the Hypnos cabin."

Will stared at the gift with wide eyes, not really believing that the son of Hades had actually gotten him something. Tentatively, he opened it. Careful not to rip the wrapper (but Nico ripped it for him out of impatience and embarrassment in the end) and was surprised to see a pair of gray fluffy earmuffs.

"The material is the same as the ones made out of their blankets and pillows." There was tint of pink in Nico's cheeks, and it was apparent that it wasn't from the cold, "Just hope you don't fall asleep because of its softness."

"Are you kidding?" Will practically put it on with so much excitement that it made the son of Hades smile a little, "This is the best! How do I look?"

"Dorky."

"Thanks!" The smile grew wider and Will had to mentally pat himself on the back. They continued their walk in silence and suddenly, the healer remembered something.

"So what woke you up? Really?"

"Your haiku." Nico automatically replied, as if he had been expecting the question for a while now.

"R-really?" He felt embarrassed almost immediately, "I-it wasn't because of the… y-you know…?"

Nico tried to bury half of his face in his beach towel/scarf, "It was a little obvious… I was uhh… kind of expecting it too…"

The son of Apollo just shook his head in disbelief, "You're not kidding, right? Was it really because of my haiku?"

Then the other suddenly gave him a cheeky smirk, "Yeah, I was surprised to realize that you can actually make a haiku."

"H-Hey!" The blonde said, looking offended, "If you really had seen my attempts in trying to wake you, you should've seen the a high-definition quality of my purely polished skills in the fine-arts of poetry and—"

"Solace." The sudden jerk from his scarf abruptly interrupted him and he looked down to stare at those beautiful onyx eyes that glared harshly at him, "Shut up."

And the next thing he knew, familiar cold lips touched his own and despite the freezing temperature—he was pretty sure he was melting into a puddle of happiness at that moment.

Definitely the best (late) Christmas ever!

"By the way…" Nico suddenly spoke up, his dark eyes unreadable, "Who was that red-head yesterday?"

**END**

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The special is…. *drum roll* A DRAWING I MADE! xD Please check it: [here](http://xxchuchanxx.tumblr.com/image/106111388080)


End file.
